CHUK June 2018

Gianni with John Frieda
#CHedit
Gianni with Nicola Clarke
That’s admittedly all rather fabulous, but what exactly
does a vision director do? “My focus has been on inspiring,
nurturing and developing the team through the GS Education
syllabus and philosophy – Discover, Create and Evolve – and
customising it for the business,” explains Gianni. “That’s
meant redesigning all education, from the assistants’ training
programme to online education and crafting a teaching team,
which is now transforming into a creative team.”
Indeed, his GS Education business will continue in tandem
with his new responsibilities, so other salons can still benefit
from his approach, which he breaks down for us: “A language
in hair, ‘Discover’ is where you learn the letters; ‘Create’ is
where you combine those letters to create words; and ‘Evolve’ is
where you are encouraged to tell your own stories once you’ve
learned those words.”
For Gianni, there are broadly two types of hairdressers
– those that are really good with their hands but poor at
communicating, and those who are great at communicating but
limited with their hands. “Where I come in is to teach people
how to communicate and understand what a client wants on
an emotional level, and in turn raise the value they have in
that client’s life, while also raising the value of the industry at
large,” he says.
It feels like a natural next step for Gianni, who made his
name as the youngest ever creative director of Vidal Sassoon
salons, when he was 21. He went on to launch a huge cultural
moment with his ground-breaking ‘Fanni’ haircut, on the
model Fanni Bostrum. For his first Vogue cover shoot, with
photographer Tim Walker, he created an iconic cut for model
Stella Tennant, and he remains one of a select group of
hairdressers to work regularly with Walker. He also enjoys
a special relationship with legendary photographer David
Bailey – no other hairdresser is trusted with Bailey’s cover
shoots and campaigns.
He’s clearly buzzing about the new opportunity, and what it
all means. He admits that he likes to plant deep roots, to have
a family around him and so this new role suits him. “Sir Alex
Ferguson is one of my heroes, and he’s about vision, about the
long term – that’s what vision director means to me,” Gianni
smiles. “There are four key creative team members who are
now teaching, and I’m directing that, and we’re producing
some really strong work and bringing on real talent. It’s
amazing to be working with my dear friend Nicola and the
team in London, as well as Serge Normant in New York and
Kerry Warn [the international creative consultant for John
Frieda]. It’s been fantastic.”
He’s clearly met a kindred spirit in Mr Frieda. “John and
I connected strongly, we think similarly, and knowing what
he’s done in the industry is very inspiring,” he agrees. “I’m
really attracted to the understated, intellectual approach to the
industry. While important for commerce, I’ve never believed in
trends – it’s about being timeless.”
26 CREATIVE HEAD